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Cynometra lenticellata (C.T.White) Rados.

Family Name:	Fabaceae (Leguminosae)
Synonyms:	Maniltoa lenticellata C.T.White
Common Name:	Cascading Bean, Cascading Maniltoa, Pink Maniltoa, Silk Handkerchief Tree

Full Sun

Moderate Water

Suitable for Roadsides

Fragrant Plant

Ornamental Flowers

Ornamental Leaves

Tree

Maniltoa lenticellata, tree covered with young flush (5th day)

Maniltoa lenticellata, tree covered in young flush (5th day)

Maniltoa lenticellata, close-up view of young flush (5th day)

Maniltoa lenticellata, view of young flush (5th day)

Maniltoa lenticellata, close-up view of flowers

Maniltoa lenticellata, view of young flush & flowers (5th day)

Maniltoa lenticellata, view of flowers & young flush (5th day)

Maniltoa lenticellata, view of shed leaves

Maniltoa lenticellata,close-up view of bark with lenticels

Maniltoa lenticellata, fresh inflorescence

Maniltoa lenticellata, view of inflorescence

Maniltoa lenticellata, tree partially covered with young flush

Maniltoa lenticellata, tree on 12th day of young flush

Maniltoa lenticellata, tree crown on 12th day of young flush

Maniltoa lenticellata, close-up view of bronzy leaves of tree on 12th day of young flush

Maniltoa lenticellata, close-up view of bronzy leaves on 12th day of young flush

Name

Family Name
Genus Epithet
Species Epithet
Name Authority
Name Status (botanical)
Synonyms
Common Names
Comments

Classifications and Characteristics

Plant Division	Angiosperms (Flowering Seed Plants) (Dicotyledon)
Plant Growth Form	Tree
Lifespan (in Singapore)	Perennial

Mode of Nutrition	Autotrophic
Plant Shape	Rounded
Maximum Height	10 m to 22 m

Biogeography

Native Distribution	New Guinea, Australia (northern Queensland)
Native Habitat	Terrestrial (Primary Rainforest)
Preferred Climate Zone	Tropical

Local Conservation Status

Non-native (Horticultural / Cultivated Only)

Description and Ethnobotany

Others - Plant Morphology	Tree, usually 10-12m under cultivation, although may reach up to 22m height in native vine or rainforests. Crown rounded, semi-deciduous, especially attractive when covered by young flush.Leaves compound, 2-4 asymmetrical leaflets. New leaves first develop within large foliar buds covered with papery scales, before emerging as pale or shiny bright pink juvenile leaves that mature to pinkish-brown and then green in a period of a few days. Young leaves hang down in limp casading tassels, thus the common moniker - handkerchief tree. Flowers creamy-white with filamentous stamens topped by yellow anthers, densely covered by rusty-brown hairs when young, produced in terminal clusters simultaneously with emergence of young leaves, fruity-scented, pollinated by bees and bats, and shed within a few days. Fruits are woody pods, relatively small (2 - 5cm long), somewhat flattened, with 1 - 2 seeds.Can be planted in parks or along roads for showy young flush, although flushing is often asynchronous -- adjacent trees and even same branch on a single tree may produce new flushes at different times.Genus epithet Maniltoa is of uncertain origin, probably derived from plant's native name in one of the Malesian / Papuasian dialects. The distinctive pink foliar flush of Maniltoa lenticellata differentiates it from other Maniltoa species (eg. Maniltoa browneoides), which have whitish young flush instead.

Others - Plant Morphology

Tree, usually 10-12m under cultivation, although may reach up to 22m height in native vine or rainforests. Crown rounded, semi-deciduous, especially attractive when covered by young flush.Leaves compound, 2-4 asymmetrical leaflets. New leaves first develop within large foliar buds covered with papery scales, before emerging as pale or shiny bright pink juvenile leaves that mature to pinkish-brown and then green in a period of a few days. Young leaves hang down in limp casading tassels, thus the common moniker - handkerchief tree. Flowers creamy-white with filamentous stamens topped by yellow anthers, densely covered by rusty-brown hairs when young, produced in terminal clusters simultaneously with emergence of young leaves, fruity-scented, pollinated by bees and bats, and shed within a few days. Fruits are woody pods, relatively small (2 - 5cm long), somewhat flattened, with 1 - 2 seeds.Can be planted in parks or along roads for showy young flush, although flushing is often asynchronous -- adjacent trees and even same branch on a single tree may produce new flushes at different times.Genus epithet Maniltoa is of uncertain origin, probably derived from plant's native name in one of the Malesian / Papuasian dialects. The distinctive pink foliar flush of Maniltoa lenticellata differentiates it from other Maniltoa species (eg. Maniltoa browneoides), which have whitish young flush instead.

Landscaping Features

Desirable Plant Features	Ornamental Flowers, Ornamental Foliage, Fragrant (Flowers) (Day)
Landscape Uses	General, Suitable for Roadsides
Thematic Landscaping	Naturalistic Garden

SGMP Treatment

Fauna, Pollination and Dispersal

Pollination Method(s)	Biotic (Fauna)

Plant Care and Propagation

Light Preference	Full Sun
Water Preference	Moderate Water
Plant Growth Rate	Moderate

Rootzone Tolerance	Fertile Loamy Soils, Well-Drained Soils
Maintenance Requirements	Moderate
Propagation Method	Seed, Stem Cutting

Foliar

Foliage Retention	Drought / Semi-Deciduous
Mature Foliage Colour(s)	Green
Mature Foliage Texture(s)	Smooth, Glossy / Shiny

Prominent Young Flush Colour(s)	Pink
Foliar Type	Compound (Even-Pinnate)
Foliar Arrangement Along Stem	Alternate
Foliar Shape(s)	Non-Palm Foliage (Ovate, Obovate, Elliptical, Asymmetrical)
Foliar Venation	Pinnate / Net
Foliar Margin	Entire
Foliar Apex - Tip	Emarginate
Foliar Base	Cuneate
Typical Foliar Area	Notophyll ( 20.25cm2 - 45 cm2 )
Leaf Area Index (LAI) for Green Plot Ratio	4.0 (Tree - Dense Canopy)

Non - Foliar and Storage

Trunk Type (Non Palm)	Woody
Mature Bark Texture	Scaly, Lenticellate
Stem Type & Modification	Woody

Root Type

Underground (Tap Root, Fibrous Root)

Floral (Angiosperm)

Flower & Plant Sexuality	Bisexual Flowers
Flower Colour(s)	Cream / Off-White, White
Flower Symmetry	Radial

Flowering Period	Hot & Dry Period
Flower Lifespan on Plant	Several Days
Flowering Habit	Polycarpic

Fruit, Seed and Spore

Fruit Classification	Simple Fruit
Fruit Type	Dehiscent Dry Fruit , Legume / Pod

Image Repository

Images

Others

Master ID	1723
Species ID	3016
Flora Disclaimer	The information in this website has been compiled from reliable sources, such as reference works on medicinal plants. It is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment and NParks does not purport to provide any medical advice. Readers should always consult his/her physician before using or consuming a plant for medicinal purposes.

Species record last updated on: 09 December 2022.